K-12 Policy & Practice

Fierce advocates for the high academic achievement of all students – particularly those of color or living in poverty.

Equity-Driven•Data-Centered•Student-Focused

Raising Achievement and Closing Gaps: K-12 and Beyond

All students need access to a high-quality, rigorous K-12 education to prepare for the opportunities and demands of the world outside of school doors. But too many young people — disproportionately African American, Latino, and Native students and students from low-income families — are getting an education that falls far short.

To help change these inequitable patterns and raise achievement for all students, we work alongside educators, advocates, and policymakers to identify causes of the achievement gap and to promote the practices and policies that will help close it.

Inequities in funding are foundational to all sorts of other inequities in our schools. Yet as a nation, we continue to spend less on educating our low-income students and students of color — the very students who could benefit most from additional support in their schools.

Reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act provide a real opportunity to create legislation that serves all groups of children equitably. Done right, a new law will keep federal, state, and local leaders honest about efforts to educate all children to high levels, especially students of color and those from low-income households. If not constructed thoughtfully,the law could hurt children.

If teachers are the most important in-school factor for student achievement, school leaders are a close second. We want to ensure that low-income students and students of color get the effective, well-supported teachers and school leaders they need and deserve.

To truly understand patterns of opportunity and achievement in America’s schools, we need to understand the stories behind the numbers. To do this, we spend time listening to and learning from the people who live these experiences every day — the students.